… Chloe Vichot of Ancolie in New York is tackling lunchtime waste: most all the food served in her restaurant comes in reusable glass jars, which guests can exchange for a dollar of store credit (she currently has a 30 percent return rate). She donates all her food scraps to a community garden, so that she knows exactly where her waste is ending up.

Ancolie is a self-described “epicurean canteen”—serving healthy, ready-to-eat meals packed to-go in sustainable glass jars. Founder Chloe Vichot—like most us—grew frustrated not only with the overly salty, often processed ingredients in the ready-made meals she would pick up for lunch, but with the waste they generated. In building Ancolie, Vichot focused on the container first, creating custom-designed mason jars that are truly a joy to eat from—wider than the typical jar with curved edges (to make scooping that last bite of farro a little easier), stackable, and leakproof. For lunch think rainbow salads (cabbage, greens, cauli-rice) or the Ancolie jar (a little heartier with lentils, carrots, goat cheese, chicken, and walnuts), breakfast could be a creamy chia pud, and for those who like something warm, there are hot options daily.

Do you find yourself blankly staring into your closet, thinking, “I have nothing to wear!!”

Do you continue to toss out clothes that you feel just “aren’t you”?

It may be time to break your fast fashion habit, and focus on clothing that is good for the planet, and more valuable to you in the long term.

Buying clothing that is more expensive (yet in your budget) will help you make better decisions about clothing you actually like, and will like in the long term. It should also be of higher quality, making it last longer, as well.

Fast Fashion is an industry that capitalizes on cheaper clothing, making it available at more frequent times throughout the year.

Fast Fashion contributes to textile waste, because we throw it out when it isn’t fashionable anymore.

It also contributes to toxic waste, water pollution due to the dyes used, and the use of polyester fabric. Polyester when washed, sends micro particles of plastic into our water system. This harms sea animals, and eventually the humans who consume those animals.

Cotton grown for clothing, is usually treated with pesticides, which harms the growers, and the planet.

Running out of cleaning spray? Simply take the peels of 2 oranges, put into an Ancolie jar and top off with white vinegar. Wait for two weeks, then strain and put the liquid into a spray bottle and you are ready to go!

Getting to zero waste is hard, but just getting to less waste can be complex, too.

So, we decided to break things down into simple concepts that can help change the way we all think about waste.

How can you contribute to a circular economy, you ask?

Here are five helpful tips adapted from Kathryn Kellogg

Learn to say no to more “stuff”

If you are offered something, an “extra” anything: a goody bag, or a water bottle, just say No!

These are things you do not need. This is just “stuff”

“The easiest way to prevent waste from leaving your home is to keep it from entering your home” – Kathryn Kellogg

Reduce possessions

Many of us are lucky enough to have more than we need, and even more than we want. Donating extra belongings will not only make your home feel better, more simplified and zen but it will give to people in need.

The KonMari method from Marie Kondo is an amazing way to de-clutter your life.

Start today. We promise it will change your life if you follow the instructions. (We just did it for the second time and have donated 4 bags filled with clothing)

The best advice we got from Lauren Singer @trashisfortosser is to go step by step. You cannot switch all your disposable to reusable in one day. Wait until you run out of something and try to replace it with a reusable option. Try these two websites for great items: Life Without Plastic, or Package Free Shop or even better go to the physical Package Free store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!

Is it beautiful? Is it glass, wood or metal? Use it, then use it, then use it, and use it again.

No more tissues, water bottles, paper towels, anything plastic.

Use cloth napkins instead of tissues and paper towels. You might miss them for a day or two, and then you learn to use the alternatives with ease!

Use glass or metal water bottles instead of plastic (since we now know plastic seeps into the water itself)

Always checks to see if there is an item available secondhand instead of buying it new.

Compost food scraps

When you don’t compost, food that could be returned to the earth goes into landfills 😦